Disney Has Arrived In Quebec City Canada

The arrival of the Disney Magic cruise ship offers the port and the city of Quebec a “business card” to attract other great cruise ships. An operation of paying charm with, in addition, the embarkation and disembarkation of cruise passengers.

The City of Quebec, the Port of Quebec and the Office of Tourism had set the package to convince Disney to stay in the nation’s capital. “It’s four years of work. It’s the most sought-after cruise company in the world, “said the director of communications and marketing Éric Bilodeau, who met on the sidelines of the festivities at the boaters’ place on Wednesday night.

But all the work accomplished will come to fruition in the coming years according to the director of communications. “It’s a test this year. There are 1800 passengers on board, including 300 children, more than 900 crew members, “he explained. “When the other operators will see that Disney has chosen Quebec, they will want to come too.”

And this visit is even more profitable for Quebec City with the disembarkation of the current passengers and the boarding of the new ones. “A third of the passengers who will board tomorrow arrived yesterday and a third who will disembark will stay a day or two in Quebec before leaving home. 95% of them are Americans, “said Bilodeau.

The Tourist Office has already planned a promotional video of the coming of Disney to attract European companies like MSC Cruises and TUI and foreign tourists to Quebec.

Summer, like winter

The cruising season in Quebec City is mostly in the fall, but the Port and the Tourist Board would like to attract boats in the summer. “We would like to attract families and, in the summer, with the holidays, it’s easier,” said the Port of Quebec’s CEO, Mario Girard.

Disney has already said that it will not come back in 2019 because the US company chooses only 12 ports a year and there is a rotation in the circuits. “We’re going to sit down with Disney and we’ll see if it’s possible to bring back a summer. Right now, they have four boats, but three are under construction so maybe one can come to Quebec instead of going to the Caribbean as it is now, “he said.

The Quebec City Tourism Board is also thinking about cruises in both winter and Norway.

Boater’s place

To thank Disney for choosing Quebec City and show how welcoming the city is the City and the Tourist Office pulled out the wallet to organize a festive evening for Quebecers and cruise passengers alike.

Despite the rain that fell on the city at the end of the day, the magic of Disney operated and people, adults and children, answered the call by tens. A lot of them had taken out their Halloween costume to greet Mickey and his friends.

Among them, the Gagnon family: parents, Mickey (François Gagnon) and Minnie (Sandra Fortin), and their children, Danika and Mederek Gagnon, also disguised as Disney characters. “It’s a great family activity, Disney, it’s magical, it gets to everyone and cruises too, it’s a dream. Even if it’s raining it’s a nice entertainment, “said François Gagnon.